BIO 205

Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

Influenza Virus
• Influenza Is a Highly
Communicable Acute
Respiratory Infection
– It is transmitted by
airborne respiratory
droplets

– There have been at

least 31 influenza
pandemics since 1510

– The virion belongs to

the Orthomyxoviridae
family
– Influenza contains two types of spikes:
• Hemagglutin (H) helps the virion attach and penetrate
host cells
• Neuraminidase (N) helps release virions from the host
cell after replication and assembly
The Structure of Influenza Virus
– Influenza A strikes every year
and causes most epidemics

– Influenza B also strikes every

year but is less common than
type A

– Influenza C causes a mild

respiratory illness but not
epidemics
– A new flu strain evolves every year, requiring
development of a new vaccine

– Complications such as pneumonia or secondary

infections occur in:
• Infants
• Elderly
• Immunocompromised people

– Guillain-Barré syndrome occurs when the body damages its

own peripheral nerve cells

– Reye syndrome often occurs in children who take aspirin to

treat pain and fever
Map of confirmed human cases of H5N1 Avian influenza
(July 7, 2006)
The major influenza pandemics were the result of
antigenic shifts
HIV Virus
• The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Is
Responsible for HIV Disease and AIDS
– Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) first
appeared in the U.S. in 1981

– Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo first isolated and

cultured the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and
linked it to AIDS
– HIV is a member of the Retroviridae family

– HIV-2 is a second type of HIV, which develops more slowly

than HIV-1
– Its genome is packaged
with reverse transcriptase

– Once the RNA is

transcribed into double-
stranded DNA, the DNA
integrates into the host
DNA as a provirus

HIV Infection
– HIV normally infects the immune system cells, including T lymphocytes
(CD4+ T cells)

– Incapacitation of T lymphocytes allows opportunistic pathogens to infect

the body

– HIV also infects and paralyzes B lymphocytes

Oral Candidiasis
Kaposi's sarcoma
– Stage I can include a flu-like illness within a month or
two of exposure
• Seroconversion means the immune system is activated
against the virus, and antibodies can be detected in the
blood

– In stage II, the individual usually remains free of

major disease, even without treatment
• It can last 6-8 years, during which HIV levels in the blood
slowly rise

– Stage III occurs when the immune system loses the

fight against HIV
• Symptoms worsen and opportunistic infectious develop
Progress of HIV Infection
– HIV is transmitted through blood and sexual contact
• Health care workers can be at risk through events such
as needle sticks

• Infected mothers can transmit the virus to their fetus or to

the baby during birth or breastfeeding

– Blood tests using ELISA are used to detect

antibodies in the blood
• A test done during the first 3 months of infection may not
be accurate
– a later test is recommended

– Prevention requires avoiding risky behaviors like

sharing needles or unprotected sex
– Azidotheymidine (AZT) was the first drug used for
treatment
• It interferes with reverse transcriptase activity

• HIV can become resistant to some antivirals

– This requires a cocktail of drugs called highly active antiretroviral
therapy (HAART)

• HAART reduces the risk of HIV transmission and can extend life of
patients by about 8 years

– A vaccine has not yet been developed

• HIV continually mutates and recombines, making vaccine
development difficult

• A vaccine needs to activate T lymphocytes, which are the cells

infected by the virus
HAART